Curiouser
by evenhisfacewasanalias
Summary: Alice is given a truth serum at the Hearts Casino, with some unintended consequences as she escapes with Hatter and Charlie.
1. Chapter 1

Alice's head was still spinning. After their escape from the Casino, being shot at, then nearly drowning, and of course, the flying, she's not exactly surprised at feeling a little light-headed. But the further they trail into the forest - headed back towards Charlie's camp - the dizzier she feels. Something roiling and warm uncurls in her stomach, spreading outwards towards her limbs, and she finds herself reaching out towards the trees around her to help maintain her balance. The rough bark scratches against her palms with each step, but at least she's still upright.

Charlie's singing grows a little more distant, though she's not certain if it's because she is simply lagging behind or if it's because everything suddenly feels much further away. But then Hatter appears abruptly at her side, asking if she's alright, and at a completely normal volume. Charlie must have wandered ahead, she decides. Perhaps she is just tired? They're almost at the camp though, so she tries to press on.

Hatter steps in front of her without warning, blocking her way and repeating his question. Alice realizes she never actually answered him the first time, and tries to formulate a proper response. When she doesn't answer straight away, Hatter reaches out to slide his arms beneath her own, her elbows pressing into his palms as he takes some of her weight, holding her steady. Alice finds herself leaning into his solid warmth and allowing him to support her, trusting him once again to keep her from falling. She actually feels a little bit better now that they've stopped walking, and there's a pleasant buzzing beneath her skin that's new, centered around where her arms press against his. But Hatter still looks at her with concern, the effect exaggerated by damp hair curling around thoughtful eyes. She had never really noticed before how dark his eyelashes were. Startled by the unexpected train of thought, she swiftly turned her focus to the lapels of his jacket instead.

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy. I'm probably dehydrated or something."

Hatter drops his head to meet her gaze. "You didn't by chance have anything to eat or drink during your little stay at the Hearts' Casino, did you?" Whereas before he had sounded more than a little worried, this time his question comes out seemingly exasperated. As if she should have somehow known better. She probably should have. It's finally starting to hit her how little she really knows about this world.

"They gave me something to drink, I remember. Before they put me in that room with TweedleDee and TweedleDum, or whatever their names were."

"Ah yes, probably one of Her Highness's special teas," Hatters chuckles humorlessly at his own pun, before his expression shifts into what Alice has come to think of as his 'lecture mode' face. The one he puts on whenever he has explain something 'obvious' to her, completely unaware of the fact that it's all complete nonsense. His smugness would normally annoy her, but underneath it all there's still real concern for her well-being. He's actually been surprisingly patient in answering all her questions, and far more forthcoming than Jack had ever been. She pushes thoughts of Jack to the back of her mind, not yet ready to deal with what she has learned about him. And of course there's the part where it was Hatter that came to her rescue. More than once. She's almost starting to find his cockiness reassuring. Maybe even charming.

Alice has to shake away the sudden memory of falling into strong, sure arms, of this strange new feeling of trust growing between, trying to focus instead on what he's telling her, "...it'll lower your inhibitions a might bit, make it easier for them to dig out those little kernels of information you hold in your skull."

She's surprised to find she's been leaning steadily closer to Hatter this whole time, only realizing just how close they've gotten when she feels the word "skull" breathed warmly across her cheek. She jerks back uneasily from their sudden proximity, forcing Hatter to grasp her arms more tightly to keep her from falling completely backward.

"Steady now, I don't think the intention was to have you literally crack open your pretty little head."

Alice is torn between her annoyance at his condescending tone and a curious sort of pleasure at being called pretty by this man once again. At least this time he wasn't making any pointed remarks about her wet dress. Up until just now she had mostly forgotten the state of her clothes, feeling warmer than ever beneath the sodden fabric. But despite the heat of her skin, she still finds herself shivering as Hatter drags her back towards him. It's an entirely innocent gesture, just like the many other occasions when he's pulled her out of harm's way, but for some reason it feels different this time. "So what exactly is in this stuff?"

"It's usually a bit of a mix of things - probably some Clear Conscience, so you don't think about what you're doing, a little Honesty, for the obvious reasons. And then sometimes just a splash of Lust or something of the sort." It's not his usual double entendre - or even a single entendre - but every word still feels as though Hatter is revealing some mischievous secret. Perhaps it's just the accent? Or maybe it's just him. She can feel his words rumbling through her, curling deeply within. Alice is hit with the sudden urge to press her ear against his chest, to feel those ridiculous words reverberate beneath it.

"Why Lust?" Of course it snaps into place the moment she says it - the reason for her over-heated skin, the odd tingling where Hatter's hands circle her arms, and the even stranger urge to curl up against his chest. She even knows the reason for putting it in a sort of truth serum, understanding that she wouldn't normally ask such a bold question of a relative stranger. But that wasn't right at all. Hatter wasn't a stranger, was something more like an ally, or maybe even a friend. A deeply attractive friend, her traitorous mind supplied.

"Surely you've noticed that people are much more…pliable when they stop thinking with their brains and start thinking with other parts." Despite Hatter's attempts to put the subject more delicately, his voice still manages to conjure to her mind scenes of a much more graphic nature. She shuts her eyes against the sudden onslaught, but it only makes the images more vivid.

"Starting to feel the effect then, eh?" There's that teasing again, expecting her to contradict him, to tell him he's mad for even thinking it.

Instead she breathes out a soft "yes". There's the Honesty, apparently. She's no longer entirely sure. She feels as though she could have denied it, if she really wished to, but for some reason she wants him to know she's feeling this. Maybe just to shock him a little, to give Hatter a taste of his own medicine. Or perhaps it's for the small thrill she feels at the sudden heat in his gaze. It's gone almost as quickly as it appeared, but there was no mistaking it, even through whatever haze she's in. And so she's surprised to feel him pulling away, though he doesn't seem to go very far. He simply moves back to her side, threading her arm carefully through his own, avoiding any contact between their skin.

"Well, we best be getting you back to camp to sleep it off. I'm sure Charlie will notice our falling behind soon enough." And just like that he's back to his cavalier self, even if his voice seems a little less steady now than it had before. Alice tries to focus on the path before them, rather the smell of freshly cut grass and soft leather that radiates off Hatter, or the surprising firmness of his 'sledgehammer' arm. Hatter's right, she just needs to sleep off whatever this is. She's already faced a murderous ceramic rabbit, an evil Queen, and a Jabberwocky - how hard could it be to fight off a little Lust?


	2. Chapter 2

The sight of what remained of the once great Kingdom of Knights came as something of a relief to Hatter. He worried that if they needed to travel much further he would end up carrying Alice the rest of the distance. He had already found himself nearly offering to do so on several occasions, whenever Alice would stumble on the path or even just lean more heavily into his side. And since when did he become some White Knight, pledging aid to damsels in distress?

 _Probably around the same time that Alice came into his life_ , his mind supplied - in a voice that sounded suspiciously like Charlie, and also a little bit like Mad March. It was the same voice that had been steadily mocking him ever since he had run to Alice's rescue in the Hearts' Casino, though it had quieted considerably when the girl in question was back by his side. But now, having her clinging tightly to him, and the maddening heat of her skin felt even through layers and layers of water-logged clothing, has brought that jeering voice back full force.

Hatter is more than a little familiar with what Alice is experiencing right now, having been dosed himself - both by the Queen's guards and by Dodo, and why on earth did he think it would be a good idea to try and play both sides? - but at the same time he has no idea what happens to Oysters who drink the Tea. There's no way of knowing exactly how she'll react to it. Already the response has been considerable delayed, though he's hoping that was just lost in the adrenaline of their escape. It's not a likely scenario, however. The effects are also building more slowly, and getting worse the longer they travel. This he could offer no explanation for, as Tea normally hit the citizens of Wonderland hard and fast. Perhaps she was trying to resist the effects? _Won't help, only makes things worse_ , came the voice that sounded a little too much like Mad March this time.

Hatter looked over to where Alice had finally let her head drop onto his shoulder. She seemed to have rather quickly caught on to the fact that too much contact was something to be avoided right now, as was speaking. Already she has accidentally let slip a certain fondness for his accent (and Hatter couldn't really be sure whether that was the Honesty or the Lust speaking) and also revealed her terrible taste in clothing (calling _his_ shirt ridiculous, of all things). After that she had been much more reticent, but still she clung to his arm more tightly with each step. He couldn't tell if it was dizziness or Lust but he was determined not to ask.

They passed the towering stone Knights that guarded the former kingdom, their domain slowly being overtaken by the surrounding forest. Hatter notices the sudden coolness of his shoulder as Alice manages to lift her head for a few moments. She can't resist looking over the ruins of the kingdom, still a wondrous sight despite all that has happened. It's certainly a nicer sight than the City, crowded and grimy as it's become.

"What was it like before?" Alice dares, hoping for a distraction or perhaps just curious.

"Before the Queen? I'm afraid you'll have to ask Charlie about that. She's been on the throne of Wonderland as long as I've known. But they tell me things used to be better. The people here, they used to be better too. Maybe something a little more like your childrens' story." He grins over at her, teasingly reminding her of their first meeting, when she first learned that she was in Wonderland. She doesn't respond for a moment, and he thinks perhaps she's also remembering the rest of that first meeting, the parts that cast him in a less than admirable light. But finally she turns to give him a small grin of her own, and Hatter tries to focus on that, rather than the way her eyes are darker now than he's ever seen them.

Hatter's thoughts grow darker as well. In a voice eerily reminiscent of Mad March's, he is reminded that there's a way Hatter could spare her all of this. While drinking a little sip of Lust leaves you with a pleasant buzz and merely settles into a itching sense restlessness afterwards (the course of all addictive pleasures), too much often requires some sort of physical relief. Or that itching dissatisfaction becomes more of a clawing need. The kind that eventually requires a padded cell, or at least some kind of medical intervention. Hatter is certain that Alice would not appreciate either outcome. He is less certain whether she would appreciate an offer to help.

But the way she's unconsciously stoking his arm, and pressing closer to him than is strictly necessary to support herself, makes Hatter think she might actually consider it. He allows his mind to drift a little along this line of thought, imagining a variety of scenarios in which Alice accepts his offer. Each starts in its own way - perhaps with a soft kiss and some gentle teasing, still others with Alice tearing at his clothing before he can even ask the question. All of them end in the exact same way, with Alice breathless and satiated beneath him. It's a rather lovely thought, actually, and the shaky breaths coming from the flesh and blood woman beside him certainly add to his imaginings. He can almost hear her sweet voice pleading with him, her dark eyes filled with trust. His courage grows with each imagined scene, words for his proposal already forming in his mind. She wouldn't refuse his offer.

But could she? Refuse? It's this thought comes like a rush of cold water over him, forcing all others from his mind. Alice is finally starting to trust him again, and Hatter wants more than anything to be worthy of that trust. This, Hatter thinks, sounds a little more like Charlie, but also a lot like the man he hopes to be. The kind of man someone like Alice could believe in.

It's the real Charlie himself who interrupts Hatter's thoughts. "Too slow, too slow, Harbinger. Mustn't linger in the woods…" The last words are delivered in an overly dramatic whisper. In the time it's taken to catch up with the White Knight he's already managed to build a fire and all but his long johns are hung out to dry, and he once again jumps to attention at their presence.

"My Lady, has some new calamity befallen you?" Charlie is quick to notice Alice's distress and is immediately upon her, checking for any sign of injury. Hatter tries to ignore the fact that Charlie seems considerably less worried about his own person, and instead be thankful that at least he isn't being called a blackguard, or being accused of letting some harm come to Alice. It seems he's slowly growing on the old codger. But Hatter can't help feeling as though he is to blame for what has happened to Alice. After all, it was he who had suggested bargaining with the ring, and then he again who had lost her trust back with Dodo. Sent her leaping straight out of the frying pan and into the fire. An apt metaphor, considering her current fevered state.

"Alice isn't feeling too well, I think it's best we just let her catch some shuteye." Hatter catches himself pulling Alice more closely to his side as Charlie tries to get a better look at his patient. There's little need though, the way Alice is firmly clinging to him. Charlie draws back immediately at hearing that Alice is unwell, making a deep bow and extending his hand towards the bedroom with a flourish.

The 'bedroom' itself isn't really so much a room - it lacked both a ceiling and any real walls - but it did, most importantly, contain a bed. Likely Charlie's, though he had given it over to Alice the night before, and produced a hammock for himself. To Hatter he generously offered up the ground. It was no matter though - Hatter had slept on far worse. And right now he was more concerned with Alice. He eased her away from his side to sit on the edge of the bed, the ancient frame creaking beneath her.

"I'm just going to…" Hatter did his best to look apologetic as he helped her out of her damp coat and boots, trying not to stare at the way her wet dress clung to her form. He probably should have just let her handle this part herself, but the way her hands were trembling made the choice for him. He did his best to keep his distance as he held back the covers, allowing her to slip beneath them without touching her more than was necessary. "Right, that's all done. So I'll just be off then."

"Please stay." The words were spoken so quietly that Hatter might not have heard but for the fact that he was painfully aware of everything Alice right now.

"You see, the thing is, you need to sleep this off. Or not sleep this off." It's clear that Alice understands the meaning of his words, the way she's no longer looking at him, even though she manages to avoid blushing at the implications. "And I'd just be in the way, so…"

Hat in hand, he's already turning to leave again when he hears it, just as quietly but he knows there's no way he would have missed it. "Would you? Be in the way?"

Bloody hell if that isn't tempting. It's not exactly the sultry voice she took on in all of his imaginings, but it's so straightforward, so very Alice, that it's all the sexier for it. He knows what she's asking from him. He knows that it would help her, and that they'd both certainly enjoy it. But he won't risk her hating him in the morning, or losing her trust. Even if he could be certain that she wanted this, that she wouldn't regret it later, he knows that he would. To have Alice for one night and then lose her again would break him. Better to leave now, while they're both still in one piece.

"Goodnight, Alice."


	3. Chapter 3

Alice has been on edge for what feels like hours now. Their walk back to the Kingdom of the Knights couldn't have actually taken that long, considering that the sun is just now setting on their little camp, but everything feels drawn out. She's hyperaware of Hatter's presence beside her, despite her many attempts to ignore it. There's no escaping the added warmth of his arm against her fevered skin, or the way his scent fills her lungs with each breath, or the pleasant little shocks that erupt at each point of contact. She had hoped they could divert themselves from thinking too much about the whole situation by talking about something else, but his lilting accent only drew her deeper into the wrong kind of distraction, and led her to blurt out some rather embarrassing truths. They both grew silent after that. It was much safer to try and distract herself within her own thoughts - carefully constructing a mental map of Wonderland, going back over her kata, or even just reciting old song lyrics to herself. That last one might have worked better if there weren't quite so many songs about sex.

But it did work, more or less - for a while at least. No amount of "Put the Lime in the Coconut" (the least sexy song she could think of at the time) would keep her thoughts from heading in the obvious direction when Hatter led her over to the bed and started tugging at her coat. She gasped as the cool evening air struck her damp skin, though she knew it was not the temperature that made her tremble. Her breathing stopped completely when Hatter moved to kneel down between her knees. But he was just pulling off her boots, in the same gentle but businesslike fashion with which he had removed her coat. He never lingered once, and immediately stepped back once his task was complete.

Her tights were still on, mostly dry now if still not entirely comfortable, but Hatter was already holding back the covers so she left them in place and followed his silent guidance. The bedding was blessedly cool against her overheated skin, though she knew they'd soon become too warm to bear. Though for now she was more concerned with the fact that Hatter was _leaving_ her.

She doesn't know what possesses her to ask him to stay, almost beg him, really. Alright, of course she knows why she asked. Though he was the one actually suggesting she "not sleep it off", and she can't help but let her eyes drift down his body, immediately catching on to the implication. But then he's turning away again, saying he'd just be in the way. What on earth was he even suggesting then? Maybe he…

Oh. OH. That. Of course that's what he meant. He wasn't really offering anything other than some friendly advice. And normally she would have no problem taking care of her own needs, generally convinced she was better at it anyway. But right now it doesn't have quite the same appeal as working off some of this tension with the man in front of her. And she will blame the Lust and the Honesty and whatever else was in that Tea for her next words, though she knows the truth of it is that this has been building between them for a while. Jack, the ring, the dealing with Dodo, and everything else that had made her keep her distance seems to crumble beneath the truth - that Hatter is the one person she can count on in all of Wonderland, and the only one that she wants right now.

She looks up towards Hatter, waiting for some sign that he feels the same way, even just a little. She knows he finds her attractive - he's told her as much twice before and she's caught him looking at her on multiple occasions. And you don't just go breaking into castles and risking your own life to rescue someone if they're just a means to an end. And then here he was still taking care of her, even tucking her into bed, and it had to mean _something_.

And just for a moment, a desperate look passes across his face in response to her words. She's certain it must mirror her own. But just as quickly it fades back into the concerned expression he's been wearing ever since she told him she felt dizzy. And then just like that, with nothing more than a "Goodnight, Alice", he's heading back towards Charlie and the fire.

It's a bit of a blow, really, but the Tea keeps her from feeling the sort of hurt her normal self might. Instead it just amplifies her frustration, and she turns to groan into the pillow. Maybe she should have stuck with the plan to sleep it off.

And so, she tries. She's certainly had an exhausting enough day, and while they were walking she had wanted nothing more than to curl up into bed and wait for the forest around them to stop spinning. But now that she's here, she only feels restless and too warm. She kicks off the covers and shimmies out of her tights, trying to get more comfortable in the dilapidated bed, and mostly succeeding. But it doesn't change the fact that she isn't the least bit tired.

Alice tries several meditative breathing techniques she had learned from her teachers, trying to slow her rapid pulse and achieve a more restful state. All it really does is give her mind a chance to wander, imagining all the other things she could be doing right now. She considers just getting up and moving around, trying to work off some of this excess energy. She's halfway out of the bed before she recalls the dizziness from earlier, deciding to scrap the plan immediately. And the truth of it is that it's going to require a bit more than a quick jog to deal with this.

She flops back on the bed face first, burying her head into the lumpy pillow and letting out a long sigh. This would have been so much easier if Hatter had just agreed to stay. Her thighs clench involuntarily at the thought of him. Try as she might, it was impossible not to notice the fact that Hatter was attractive, and by now she's certainly well aware of the unexpected strength and resilience he possesses. She's also been a little surprised to find herself more than once wanting to run her hands through his wild hair - whether to tame it or just mess it up further still she has no idea. Alice thinks about his clever mouth, and all the potential uses for it, and without really planning to her hand sneaks down between her legs to press deliciously at the source of her frustration. She grinds the heel of her hand right where she needs it the most, and it's almost shocking in its intensity while at the same time being wholly unsatisfying.

Alice's hips begin moving of their own volition, dragging against her palm in search of some kind of relief. It's a bit of an awkward shuffle to get her dress out of the way, but it's so much better without the thick fabric muting the sensation of her hand against her center. When she finally works her fingers beneath her cotton panties she's thankful that the pillow is there to muffles her cries. She can no longer hear Hatter or Charlie but that doesn't mean they aren't still within hearing distance.

She realizes that Hatter probably already knows what she's doing out here anyway - a fact that should embarrass her but instead just makes the tightness in her belly coil even further. Alice imagines him coming back to check on her, and finding her in this state. It should feel wrong to think of him like this, knowing that he doesn't feel the same way about her, but who else would she think of? Certainly not Jack, not after how things turned out in the Casino. And she wasn't one for thinking about strangers or random celebrities. She sometimes imagined herself with the heroes from her favorite novels, but those carefully crafted fantasies didn't really fit at all with the raw desire she felt right now. She needed someone solid, someone real.

And Hatter was very real, and no more than a dozen or so yards away past the crumbling walls of the throne room. She knew he would come back to her in an instant if she called out to him. Maybe he would even take pity on her and offer to help. She lifted her hips for better access as she allowed her imagination to run wild. She imagined the feeling of having him within her, filling up the ache that grew inside her. His hands grasping at her body, holding her tightly against him as they moved against one another. Him touching something within her that no one else had before. She could feel herself edging closer and closer to something big, something always just out of reach.

Alice groaned her frustrations into the battered pillow once again. It was too much. She was far too tense and getting absolutely nowhere. This had happened before, where she had been too wound up to find any real satisfaction. And these were certainly less than ideal circumstances to try and relax. But she had to try. She flipped over to rest on her back, letting her legs fall to the side and beginning again, slower this time. The Hatter of her fantasies grew gentler now, grinning down at her as he teased over her sensitized flesh. She can almost hear his voice in her mind, offering soft reassurances. A memory of his words from earlier, as he lead her safely along a more literal edge. " _Look at me, Alice. Try not to look down…"_


	4. Chapter 4

This was madness, Hatter decides while sitting stiffly beside the fire with Charlie, trying his best not to think about what Alice might be up to only a short distance away. It had already taken most of his willpower to walk away from her, to try and give her some space and a little privacy even when she was pleading with him to stay. As willing as she had seemed, Hatter knew he had made the right decision. Now it was simply a matter of trying to forget the image he had left back there, of Alice shivering and wanting in the bed, and the scent of her that still lingered on his coat.

At first he tried to pretend that Alice had merely chosen to sleep after he left, but the soft and rhythmic creaking of the bed frame is doing little to convince him of this lie. He's surprised Charlie hasn't noticed sound, as he's proven already to have excellent hearing despite his age. But is seems the Knight is preoccupied by other thoughts. He looks about a million miles away, perhaps communing with the spirits or some other such rot. It's a bit of a relief though, not having to explain the Alice situation to the old man. Even if it does leave Hatter alone with his torturous thoughts.

The sounds of movement grow more hurried, and Hatter presses his palms roughly against his eyelids in an attempt to block out the mental images that come with it, but they only grow more vivid. In his mind Alice has managed to lose her dress and tights, all that pale, perfect skin on display, only marred by her Oyster markings. But they wouldn't have reached her newly revealed flesh, all flush with exertion and hot to the touch. His mental gaze travels down her body to where he imagines her hand is thrust roughly down into her frilly little knickers. Alice doesn't actually seem the type for much frilliness and nonsense, but Hatter figures it's his fantasy and at least he's leaving her the dignity of a pair of knickers. It's the best he can do under the circumstances.

An anguished cry brings him out of his daydreams, and even Charlie seems to jump at the sound. It came from Alice's direction, but it didn't sound like the sort of noise you make when you're enjoying yourself. It sounded a little more like whenever he managed to piss Alice off, but he hadn't even done anything! Though maybe that was the problem. Before he had a chance to think too hard about it, Charlie was already leaping from his seat.

"My Lady needs our assistance, we must go to her at once!" His knightly demeanor is somewhat spoiled by his state of undress and lack of weapon, but Hatter has no doubt that the man is about to go rushing into a very awkward situation.

"Charlie, wait! Alice is just ill and she probably doesn't want both of us crowding her." It's not exactly a lie, at least. "Someone should really stay here and look out for any danger, so then why don't I just go check up on her. I'm sure she's fine." He tries and fails to sound nonchalant about Alice's state of distress, but he's hoping to appeal to the Knight's sense of duty in asking him to keep watch. Thankfully this seems to work.

"Too right, too right. I shall keep guard against the evils that lurk within these woods, always waiting for me to slip up, and you shall assist our Lady Alice!" Charlie jerks into his lookout stance, one that perhaps might be a little more intimidating had he been wearing his armor, or if he were not over a thousand years old. But at least he wasn't heading towards Alice. Though he fully expected Hatter to do so. Hatter figured he'd get as close as he needed to assure himself that Alice was ok, and then he'd head right back.

This was easier said than done, however. Another pained cry from Alice had him picking up the pace. The sudden absence of bedspring noises deluded him into moving far closer than he would have dared otherwise. But in the end, it is a single soft sound that breaks him.

" _Hatter…"_

Even in a deep sleep, it is impossible to ignore the sound of someone calling your name. And if that person just happens to be the girl of your dreams and she's sighing your name like that, well then. What's a man to do but go to her?

Armed with the excuse of temporary insanity, Hatter rushes straight to Alice's bedside. She's thankfully (or perhaps, rather unfortunately) still clothed, but her dress has been rucked up enough that he catches a glimpse of her knickers. A perfectly sensible little polka-dot cotton number, but he finds himself completely enchanted by the tiny bow that's affixed to the top. It's unexpectedly endearing, and it feels oddly intimate to know about this.

"Hatter…" His eyes are drawn back up to her face, where her eyes are still shut as tightly as the fists at her side. She looks equal parts flushed and frustrated, and she should be feeling better by now but clearly she's doing worse. After a few moments of observing her she finally opens her eyes to look over at him, and he can easily read the desperation within them.

"Hatter, I can't, I need…" She can't finish the sentence, but Hatter can figure it out. Knows something this powerful you can't always handle by yourself. And whatever his reservations are, he can't leave just her like this.

He goes to sit on the bed beside her, his back to her knees. He pulls off his hat and runs a shaky hand through his hair, trying to keep his wits about him as best he can.

"Alright, Alice." He replies softly, looking back at the woman in question to understand. Alice certainly takes it as an acceptance, as she immediately moves to push down her underthings, but Hatter takes hold of both wrists to halt her.

"I'm going to take care of you, I promise you that, but these are going to need to stay on." This was about Alice's needs, and not his, and he wasn't about to cross any lines he didn't absolutely have to. "…Dress too."

Alice nods too quickly at him, but he frees her wrists all the same. Thankfully she seems content to behave, placing her hands back at her side, fingers curling into the sheets beneath. Hatter takes a deep breath before placing shaking hands on her knees. He shifts up towards her a little, easing her knees apart slightly as he moves. Her skin is still feverishly hot despite the cool air, but temptingly soft and just the tiniest bit prickly. Alice gasps beneath him, her breath already coming out in short little pants even though he's hardly touched her.

Hatter watches her face intently for any sign that she's changed her mind, that this is too much, but she merely looks more and more impatient with him. Not an entirely uncommon expression for her to wear in the time that he's known her, and he can no more resist teasing her now than he's ever been able to before. He thumbs gentle little circles into the insides of her knees until she starts shifting restlessly against his hands. His fingers slide around to grip the back of her knee to steady her, and nearly gets kneed in the chin for his efforts. Apparently his Alice is quite ticklish, a fact his tucks away for later use. But he can't resist a a parting wiggle of his fingertips against the soft skin there, and he grins at the little yelp she lets out in response. He knows he won't get away with much more, so he moves one hand back to continue drawing circles on her knee while the other drifts higher.

Alice stills as he slowly glides his fingers up her inner thigh, though the closer he gets the more she trembles. Finding the edge of her knickers brings out another gasp, while reaching down to cup her heat through drenched cotton earns him the loveliest sound of all.

" _Hatter…"_

He remains there for a few moments, letting her get used to the feel of his hand against her, the heat of his palm seeping through. But when she starts shifting her hips in search of more friction he pulls back slightly, drawing a single fingertip along the seam of her. Her eyes flutter shut at the sensation, and he shifts his own gaze from her face down to where his hand now works. It's a little trickier with the barrier between them, though Hatter thinks he can figure things out well enough. He ignores the fact that he can feel himself already straining against his trousers, his focus in entirely on Alice.

He knows the exact moment he's found the right spot as she grabs wildly at his wrist, trying to hold him in place, but he resists her attempts to quicken his pace or increase the pressure he applies. "Just relax Alice, you have to let go."

It's meant both literally and figuratively. Alice is certainly the most stubborn woman he's ever encountered, and while Hatter normally found that to be a rather attractive quality, it was also very likely the source of her current frustrations. She was still wound so tight, Hatter feared she might just break.

But Alice grudgingly relinquished his wrist and withdrew her hand. Hatter took up that hand with his free one, threading his fingers through her own. He continued with the steady stream of reassurances until he could no longer find any sign of tension on her face, and her fingers finally went lax between his own. Then and only then did he take the pace she wanted, speeding up the movements of his other hand. Her fingers tightened in his once again, but she was no longer trying to take control.

She was beautiful like this, eyes half lidded and her mouth slightly parted, letting out a constant stream of soft noises with each breath. Hatter desperately wished he could kiss her now, but he knew it wasn't the right moment. She was still under the effects of the Tea, and he was just trying to help her out, as a friend. If he kissed her - _when_ he kissed her - he wanted her all there, not half-drunk on Lust. And he wanted her to kiss him back because she wanted him, and only him, not just another warm body. And then maybe she'd finally understand why he went back to the Casino for her, why he'd go anywhere for her. And so he resisted the urge to lean down and meet her lips, instead bringing her hand up in his to deliver a small kiss to her fingertips.

It's with that tiny gesture that Alice suddenly cries out beneath him, legs drawing up to clench around his hand as she shudders her release. Hatter is pretty sure the sight of it is all he'll be seeing from now on every time he closes his eyes. He draws his hand back to gather her up in his arms, and she goes willingly into the embrace. Alice is still trembling with the intensity of it, but she no longer feels fevered, and Hatter lets out a sigh of relief. It seems the worst is over with. He allows himself to finally relax against her. They remain there for long moments, both reluctant to pull away before Alice finally draws back, her expression unreadable.

"Please tell me you're not mad" Hatter pleads.

Alice shakes her head quickly, "No. Thank you for helping me, and for not…" Not taking advantage? For not leaving her at the Casino? Hatter waits for her to finish her thought but she never does. "…But I have to go back."

"Back to the Casino?" He asks a little hysterically, but the next question is even worse. "For Jack?"

She shakes her head, and that's certainly a relief, at least. But what she says next he never could have expected.

"It's my Father. He's here."


	5. Chapter 5

"And so I stole the White Knight's armor, his name…his courage, and I waited for the right time. When you showed up, I knew that my time had finally arrived."

It was a rare moment of seriousness from the older Knight, though Alice had long suspected there was more to him than met the eye. And she could certainly sympathize with this admission - she too had built up a sort of counterfeit armor over the years in order to shield herself from loneliness. If only it were truly so easy to borrow courage as well. Here Charlie was confessing all of this to her, and she couldn't even get up the nerve to tell Hatter how she felt. And now he was running off to god knows where and she was just sitting here.

Alice does her best to ignore any lingering doubts about the man. Even at his most mercenary she knows he would never abandon her, or allow her to come to harm. But she has yet to figure out the reason he's still helping her, with nothing obvious to gain from it, and it's this small uncertainty that troubles her now. Charlie is clearly bound by a code of honor, as well his duties as a Knight - regardless of whether the title was really his own. While she's occasionally had reason to doubt his sanity, he's never given her any reason to doubt his loyalty to her. He's someone she could consider a friend, strange as he may be. But Hatter…she had no idea how to define what he was to her. And whatever code Hatter abided by - assuming he even had one - was a complete mystery to Alice.

The man clearly had no compunctions about selling the Queen's Tea in his little shop, or even selling _her,_ but it seemed he drew the line at letting someone else use her as their pawn, and he had been pretty upset about her being given Tea. Alice tries not to blush at the memory, especially with Charlie suddenly so lucid right next to her. But it is hard to avoid the flush that comes to her cheeks as she remembers begging him to touch her, how desperate she had been. And how he had finally given in - but then had barely touched her. Alice had no idea whether it had been for her sake or for his own, but he hadn't even removed her panties, or any of his own clothing, save for his hat. Hatter hadn't even kissed her! But it had been enough. More than enough - it was perhaps her most intense sexual experience in recent memory and no one had even been naked! This fact she vows to keep to herself, not wanting to further inflate Hatter's already sizeable ego. It was bad enough already that she was once again in his debt for rescuing her. She promises herself that if Hatter came back - _when_ he came back - she would do the rescuing from now on. Even up the score a little.

With this new resolve, she bids Charlie goodnight, smiling at the older man as he eases himself into his ramshackle hammock, teddy bear in hand. Hatter wouldn't be back for a few hours yet, and she might as well get some real rest while she can.

* * *

Not-Dinah grinned at her once again. The unsettling expression was now a constant presence on the cat's face, and there was no more mistaking it for her childhood pet. Before her was a cheshire cat, perhaps _the_ cheshire cat, and Alice found herself following it once again. She didn't know if it was leading her into another trap (if it had even been a trap before? certainly they had gained more than they lost?), but as with most dreams it seemed impossible not to follow. Her thoughts were hazy, but the path was clear.

The cheshire cat lead her deeper and deeper into the forest that surrounded the Kingdom of the Knights. Sometimes Alice was quite small, as she had been in her memories of the old house, and sometimes she was big again. Or somewhere in between. She barely noticed this, or that she was no longer wearing her own clothing. Instead she now wore a light blue nightdress and matching slippers, simultaneously childish and old-fashioned, but they seemed to suit her ever-changing age and size. If asked she might have reasoned that Charlie had given them to her, as it seemed like something he would do. And of course he hadn't, but Alice wasn't really thinking about this. All of her thoughts were focused on her nimble guide as the cat moved swiftly ahead into the dark woods. Alice herself was constantly stumbling over the hidden roots the wove along their path, though at least the sensation of impact was strangely muted. The feeling of falling, however, was not. It was perhaps even a touch amplified, leading Alice to grow too dizzy to question the cat's motives or even where they were headed to.

Their journey came to an abrupt end as the cheshire cat dashed up a nearby tree and out of her sight, leaving Alice alone to wonder why she had been brought here. The tree was much larger, if shorter, than any of the other trees they had passed. It did not have any low branches to help her climb, and no other trees grew close enough to aid her. Summoning up all of her childhood skill, Alice attempted to climb the trunk itself, but the width was all wrong and she couldn't manage more than a few feet upwards. She wasn't exactly dressed for climbing - her gown tangled around her knees even as her slippers slid uselessly against the bark. Already she could feel herself beginning to lose her footing, and she could no longer see where the cat had disappeared to. Alice had half-expected it to start taunting her from above as it had in the story, but it seemed as though even in Wonderland - even in dreams of Wonderland - animals didn't talk. At least not to her. She mused to herself that perhaps they spoke to Charlie, or maybe even Hatter, in his madder moments. Maybe she would go mad here too, and then the grinning cat might finally tell her why it led her here.

Barely clinging to the tree, it almost seemed worth it - a little madness in exchange for knowing what the hell was going on. She managed to shimmy up a few more inches into the shadow of the leaves. Still no sign of the cat. But after her eyes finally adjusted she noticed something to her left. An apple? But this wasn't an apple tree! At least not to Alice's mind, though she had never actually seen an apple tree before. But she was certain that fruit didn't normally grow so far out of reach, hidden amongst the leaves. But coconuts could grow very high, her mind supplied helpfully. An apple was not a coconut, of course, but she supposed the same logic applied. Without even really planning to do so, she found herself unconsciously reaching out towards the fruit.

Alice couldn't really account for why she suddenly wanted the apple, but something about it being just out of reach made her want it even more. She could just touch the smooth edge of it with her fingertip, but she didn't even have the leverage in her current position to knock it from the branch. She carefully shifted her legs to better grip at the trunk, allowing her right hand to loosen its hold so she could lean a bit to the left, extending her outstretched hand a bit further. But the move threw her off balance, and swiftly she went tumbling back down to the ground, landing with an "oof" but very little real pain. It was still disorienting though, to suddenly be down when you once were up, and so it took her a few moments before she noticed that her left hand currently held the elusive apple.

There wasn't much more light down here, but she could see that the apple in her hand was a deep red in color, and so very tempting. She brought it up to her mouth for a bite, and was immediately take aback when the flesh crinkled rather than crunched beneath her teeth. But far worse was the dusty taste of paper that suddenly filled her mouth. She quickly spit out a mouthful of what turned out to actually be shreds of paper, before looking down at the fruit in her hand. It still looked like an apple, for the most part, except for where she had bitten into it she could see the neatly pressed pages of a book hidden beneath the skin.

In the waking world she probably would have simply tossed the apple aside, having no real desire to digest its contents, but sitting her she has a niggling sense that what was inside was important. Her father had once showed her how to split an apple in half with just her hands, which she tried again now, and apparently she splits it in just the right place because the apple, or now the book, she supposes, opens right to the middle. There are no words written, but the images on the page (the slice?) almost seem to move before her eyes. She sees herself and Hatter narrowly escaping the Hearts Casino, but it is not the image from her memory. She flips back a few pages, skipping the ones that have managed to stick together, and sees them in the Casino together. They are searching for her father but he is no longer there. A few more pages back and she finds them in the woods, herself and Hatter slaying the Jabberwocky. She searches for Charlie amongst the pages but he is no longer with them on their journey. Alice turns quickly to the end. Hatter is kissing her before the looking glass, having brought her back as promised. She finds herself unconsciously touching her fingertips to her lips as she watches this. But the moment is bittersweet, and it's suddenly cut short. The Alice in the picture is being pushed through the mirror just as her Hatter is captured by the Queen's men. The book, if it could really be called that, ends there.

Alice felt the pages crumble within her grip, and the fragrant juice runs down her wrists even as she finally notices that her face is wet with tears. Then the pages are gone and only crushed fruit remains within her hands. She had no idea what it all means - the images weren't memories, though she felt them as though they had already happened. Were they a glimpse of what was to come? But Hatter had already refused to take her back to the Casino alone. He was out there now looking for another way for them. But suppose there was no other way?

The forest seemed darker than ever as she sat there, dragging up the ruffled hem of her ridiculous nightgown to wipe away the tears. It nearly reached her toes now, meaning she was smaller than when she had first tried to climb the tree. She would never be able to climb it again in this state. This thought brought on a fresh wave of tears, and she hadn't cried like this for many years, not since she was originally this height. Not since her father had disappeared. She tried to remind herself that she hadn't really lost Hatter, or Charlie, that they were still alright out there. It was she that was lost, and she that just needed to find her way back to their camp and then they'd both be there, safe as houses.

With new determination, she picked herself up on the ground and brushed her clothes back into some semblance of neatness, feeling more herself than she had a few moments ago. She was back to her original height, though she wasn't sure if that was simply because of her determination to get back to her friends, or if her sudden determination came with her height. It was impossible to tell which came first, or if was all just one big circle. She felt as though she had been turned around so many times since she had arrived in Wonderland. She was turning again, purposefully this time, intent at returning the way she came when a small thunk sounded behind her. Alice turned swiftly on her heel, half-expecting to find the cheshire cat waiting for her. But instead, a small, yellowish apple was rolling towards her feet. She stooped to pick it up, turning it in her hand. She had never seen two different types of apple come from the same tree before. But then again, she had never seen an apple with pages inside, either. She split the yellow flesh as she had before with the first apple, and opened it to a new image.

Her father. Exactly as he always appeared in her mind, a little older perhaps but almost precisely as she remembered him. So much so that it couldn't possibly be an image of the future. He would likely have aged much more in reality - though perhaps they aged differently in Wonderland? Maybe Hatter hadn't been joking about Charlie's age earlier. And then how old was Hatter really? But she was getting distracted. Alice turned to the beginning, to see Jack riding up to her on a white horse. As she looks at the picture, his haircolor seems to shift between the blonde color she knows it now to be and the darker shade of her memory. She thinks perhaps that all of the pictures she's seen hover somewhere between reality and memory, between her greatest hopes and her greatest fears. She no longer knows what's real and what isn't. This apple, too, crumbles in her hands, and Alice is left with nothing but a sense of foreboding.


	6. Chapter 6

When Hatter does return, he finds Alice up on a hill, looking off into the distance. She seems troubled, more so than usual. She's not even really looking at him. He goes to asks if she's ok and she finally meets his gaze, offering up an unreadable smile.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming back."

Ah, that answers that question. She still doesn't trust him, not completely. He tries to explain that he's changed, just managing to avoid admitting that _she_ is the one who has changed him, that Alice has made him want to be a better man. But when she asks what'll happen to her if she's stuck here, and looks up at him with a vulnerability he's never seen from her - even under the influence of the Tea - he can no longer help himself. He'd promise her the throne of Wonderland, and mean it, right about now, but he knows that's not what she needs.

"Then I'll make sure you're ok." He tries to offer her all the reassurance he can with his words and with his certainly - that no matter what happens he'll look after her. He hopes that after all they've been through, that she can at least trust this. And judging by the look on her face, she may finally believe him.

There's something more there too, something beyond her faith in him. There's hope there too, and it draws him closer to her, leaning forward to finally kiss her as he's been wanting to for ages.

"I think your luck is finally changing…"

* * *

Of course Jack chooses that exact moment to interrupt, claiming of all things that Caterpillar has sent him. That he's here to make things right. And suddenly everyone is forgetting that this entire thing is Jack's fault, and Alice is leaving with him. Leaving without Hatter.

And Hatter gets it, realizes that this may be her only chance to find her father. And Jack may be a complete wanker, but he holds all the cards here. He has the power to reunite Alice with her family, to bring down his mother, and restore Wonderland. But that doesn't mean he has to like it, or that he has to obey Jack's orders. He's been subverting the royals for years, and he's not about to stop now.

Hatter tries not to think about what might have happened if Jack had just waited a few more minutes to find them, and instead focus on keeping a discreet distance as he follows Jack and Alice. But Jack isn't particularly stealthy, or at least not very observant, and it's not taking much effort to track them. Which leaves his mind free to drift back to the hill, back to leaning down towards Alice's small smile. He imagines finally bridging the distance between them, of meeting her lips and pouring all he feels for her into that kiss. And in his mind Alice would of course return his feelings, and his kiss, with all the passion he knew her to be capable of. There'd be no Tea to cloud her judgment this time - and this alone would make that kiss better than all of his previous fantasies combined.

But somehow even better than the thought of kissing her was the reality of the moment before they were interrupted. The look of gratitude and hope that Alice had give him when he promised to look out for her, the beginnings of real trust between them. He had meant what he said, and he would do everything in his power to make sure she never lost that hope again. And since wasn't about to trust some selfish prince with unknown motives to protect her, he would just have to do it himself.

It seemed Charlie felt much the same way about the prince (and possibly about himself, though he chose not to dwell on that thought), and apparently had the same idea to follow them. He isn't being particularly subtle about it either, making enough noise to draw out a Jabberwocky. Hatter meets him in hopes of quieting him down, and after a bit of arguing the Knight finally agrees to travel together.

They catch up with Alice at the Hospital of Dreams, and it seems they were right to follow as Mad March and a whole mess of suits have also found them. Their only option is for Hatter to create a diversion while Charlie swoops in to save Alice.

Hatter's hardly a match for a half dozen well-armed Suits, with only an only old sword in hand, but he has to try. He races in loudly where the Suits are forced through a bottleneck, and he's definitely a distraction as four of them break away to fight him. But Charlie is running in the opposite direction, and the Suits are pulling Hatter down from his horse. The last thing he sees is Mad March staring down at him before everything goes black.

* * *

When Hatter wakes the world is strangely light, though its not the artificial brightness of the Casino. Sunlight streams in through the windows above him - a rare sight in the City where only the people living at the top ever see much sky. The room itself is strangely familiar, though he can't remember seeing it before. It seems to suit its owner, at least, though Hatter couldn't tell you who that was in his morning haze. The bed beneath him lulls him in and out of sleep for a few more minutes. The mattress is lumpy in a pleasant sort of way - a small shift towards the center of the bed brings him into a well-worn groove - and the sheets smell of a familiar warmth.

Hatter is finally drawn into full wakefulness by a whiff of smoke drifting into the room. It's not cause enough for alarm, but a crease still forms on Hatter's brow as he frowns towards the door. He follows the scent to the kitchen, where a skillet of overcooked pancakes is currently unattended. Without thinking to much about it, Hatter simply empties the pan into the trashcan beneath the sink, turning the heat down before pouring in fresh batter. A flick of his wrist has the pancake arcing into the air before returning perfectly flipped, easy as a hat trick.

"One day you'll have to teach me that." Arms sneak around his waist, and apparently his normal reflexes have abandoned him entirely here. But Hatter doesn't seem to mind, and thoroughly relaxes into the embrace.

"I think we should start a little simpler, luv - perhaps with proper stove settings." The sharp pinch to his side is undermined by the laughter that follows. He looks down at the pale, slender arms wrapped around his middle, trying to decide whether or not he misses her Oyster mark

"I just wanted to make breakfast for you, for once." Alice breathes into his ear in mock complaint. Her teasing voice sends a little thrill through Hatter, but they both ignore his growing arousal in favor of enjoying the simple pleasure of a lazy morning. There's no rush here.

"Maybe I _like_ making breakfast. And between the two of us I think I'm certainly the safer option." He teases back.

"But it's your birthday, people are supposed to do things _for_ you today."

"Yes, but it's also _your_ UNbirthday, and so I will be treating you to a plateful of perfectly uncharred pancakes."

"Are you so sure about that?" The smell of burning once again fills his lungs as flames reach out to cover his hands…

* * *

Hatter wakes again to find himself tied to a chair in a violently green room with his twin torturers, one of whom is zapping his hands and side with an electric prod. Their insane chuckling is covered by the sound of his own screams, but he doesn't miss when Mad March commands them to leave. They finally exit the room, though not without a parting shock to his ribs.

"You don't seem too pleased to see me again." Hatter thinks to himself that he's not even really seeing him now, just the shell of his former self topped off with that ridiculous ceramic face. But it's been a long time since he saw anything familiar in March, and there's no point in dredging up the past now. He simply grips the arms of the chair more tightly and begins reciting the familiar riddles through his teeth, trying to stop his body from shaking.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk, the clock's not ticking properly, maybe crumbs in the butter…"

"Tell me where the great library is…yeah, didn't think you'd crack." March doesn't even pause. "Doesn't matter anyway, we got everything we need. The girl, the ring. It won't be hard to track down your little resistance."

"Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today. Speak roughly to your little boy, and beat him when he sneezes! He only does it to annoy, because he knows it teases…" Hatter's learned the hard way that there's nothing better than nonsense for ignoring pain, or keeping an opponent off balance. Though it tends to work better when your enemies aren't already mad themselves.

"Twinkle twinkle little bat, how I wonder what you're at." March finishes for him. "And off with their heads. Your little Alice is about to lose hers. Do you think the Queen will let me keep it?" He sneers.

Hatter ceases his riddles, jaw clenched too tightly for any sound to emerge, but March continues, "Or maybe I'll take yours? Seems only fair, an eye for an an eye, a head for a head."

The memory comes back unbidden - himself, putting a bullet in Mad March's original head, doing his best to ignore any resemblance to the man he once knew with a face too much like his own. But there's no time to mourn the dead when Alice is still alive and somewhere within the Casino. He just needs to find a way out of his restraints.

March himself presents the solution, drawing a long knife from his sleeve. "In any case, there's no need to keep you alive." Hatter watches the blade, watches for his opportunity. He doesn't have long to wait, Mad March was never particularly patient and he immediately lunges for Hatter's throat, but Hatter is already flinging himself backwards to kick at the other man. By the time March has recovered Hatter's already flipped the chair around to shield himself, and March's next swing merely frees his right arm from its bindings. Then all it takes is one solid punch and the ceramic face and whatever machinery that's keeping March alive shatters into a thousand pieces at Hatter's feet.

* * *

It won't be easy to find Alice in a place as large as the Casino. Hatter searches the entire floor for any sign of her. Mostly he discovers and endless sea of disorienting rooms - rooms that spin or turn upside down, and even one where a thousand eyes all turn to stare at him. All appear to be empty of prisoners, though he narrowly misses meeting the twins again in a room filled entirely with treacle. Down the stairs he stumbles upon a lab where botanists are growing heart-shaped roses, and he has to take out a few suits in his escape. But after several more unremarkable doors he finally finds the game room, where all of the Oysters are currently being drained. Hatter tries to catch a glimpse of their faces, looking for Alice's among them.

Hatter doesn't have to search for long. At this point he really shouldn't be surprised to find that Alice has already made her own escape from captivity. Or by the fact that she's already in trouble again. She was always rushing into things headfirst, and this time it's landed her none too stealthfully up on the stage of the game room, standing out very obviously next to the diamond girls in their shimmering dresses. It's only a matter of seconds before two Suits have their guns trained on her. But surprise is thankfully on Hatter's side for once as he takes out one the Suits while Alice helps dispatch his partner.

"Hatter, you're ok! I thought you were dead!"

He's trying to explain that he's fine, just a few bumps and bruises and then her arms are around him, clinging tightly to his shoulders and this is so much better than his dream…

"Oh that feels good…" Hatter wants nothing more than to remain like this forever, safely in each others' arms. But they're not really safe, not yet. So with great reluctance he pulls himself away from her embrace, noting the way she's still struggling to catch her breath. "We should save that until we're safe."

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you before." Something tightens in his chest at her words, but he has to be sure.

"Do you trust me now?"

"Completely."

It's the most beautiful thing he's ever heard, and it takes everything he has not to take her back into his arms. He still has to get them out of here, but of course Alice has some other wild plan. With the Suits all elsewhere, her idea isn't _entirely_ mad, but of course it all goes to hell with the unexpected arrival of her father. The moment is bittersweet, and over much too quickly, and then Hatter is too late to save her father but at least he can stop the Walrus from killing her as well.

There's no time for sorrow now, or for regrets. His wonderful Alice has toppled the whole house of cards.


	7. Chapter 7a

It was strange being home again. After spending several days in Wonderland it was quite a shock to find that she had barely been gone an hour in her own world. She couldn't be sure exactly how long, as she hadn't woken up until many hours later, apparently in the hospital. Then it all came back to her in a rush, everything she had left behind in Wonderland. She had found her father again only to lose him forever in the same day.

In some ways it was freeing to know that he never meant to leave them, that he loved her up until his very last moment. But it wasn't the same as having him back with her, and she still mourned that loss along with her mother, letting out the tears she has been holding back for ten years.

And then there was Hatter…She had hoped he might ask her to stay, or even offer to come with her again. But he just stood there, not saying a single word as the Looking Glass technician pushed her through. And even though he's still alive she knew in that moment that she'd never see him again.

* * *

But somehow Hatter is standing in her doorway now, looking so completely normal that she doesn't know whether to laugh or cry in response. She suddenly feels like Dorothy, waking up to find that all of her wonderful friends from Oz are just the people that she sees everyday in Kansas. Or apparently in this case, some random construction worker named David who's somehow found his way into her dreams. But then as he catches sight of her his mouth quirks into that familiar grin and she knows it's really Hatter standing in front of her. An answering grin lights up her own face as she runs to throw her arms around him once again.

"Hatter!" Alice should probably worry that she practically leapt at the man but he's hugging her back just as tightly.

"Finally," he breathes into her shoulder, sending a delightful wave of shivers through her body. She pulls back only a scant few inches to face him, reluctant to let him go again.

"You have no idea how how happy I am to see you."

The awed look on Hatter's face has her reconsidering her words. She suddenly realizes that while it's only been a few hours for her since waking up back in her world, for Hatter it's been much longer. Even if Hatter had jumped through the Looking Glass immediately after her he would have just found her lying by the mirror unconscious. She can tell by his expression that it's been a long night of worrying he'd found her only to lose her again. But he hadn't lost her, and now here they both were, finally. So when Hatter leans into her she meets his lips without a single hesitation.

" _I missed you,_ " he whispers against her mouth as she tugs at his collar to kiss him again. This kiss has been a long time coming, but Hatter's lips caress her own as if they have all the time in the world. And considering all that they have been through together it's almost an irresistible luxury to lose herself in the feeling of Hatter pressed against her like this. But all too soon she's brought back to reality by the sound of her mother's voice.

"So I take it you two know each other?"

Alice suddenly realizes how this must look. From her mother's perspective, Jack had just proposed last night, and now here she was kissing some strange man in front of her. There is really no way of explaining what actually happened in between without sounding crazy. Thankfully, a very sheepish Hatter steps up to try, taking Alice's hand in his own as he turns towards the older woman.

"Well you see the thing is…yes. Old friends, me and Alice. Just wasn't sure if she had ever talked about me before so I didn't mention it last night." Alice wants to kiss him again for that quick bit of thinking, but clearly her mother isn't quite as impressed with his response.

"And you just happened to be in the neighborhood?" Oh this is bad, Alice thinks. There weren't a lot of believable answers for why Hatter might just happen upon her while she was unconscious in some random building, and most of plausible scenarios would paint Hatter in a pretty terrible light. She can feel Hatter tense a little beside her as he realizes the same thing.

"I called him!" She interjects, too quickly and too loudly. "After the thing with Jack, I needed a friend, and so I called Ha..David and he must have arrived just after I bumped my head." She's grateful for Hatter's steady hand as he grasps her own trembling fingers - she's never been good at hiding things from her mother, and it's making her jittery. But the truth would be even harder to explain right now.

Thankfully, her mother seems to accept the not-really-so-far-from-the-truth version of events, and Alice finally relaxes into Hatter's side. His thumb is gently stroking the back of her hand and with that small crisis averted all she can think about is how much she wants to be kissing him again. But her mother is still right there, and she's still looking at them strangely.

"Well then David, how about you stay for dinner and tell me all about how you two met?"

Alice jumps in to answer. "Mom, we'd love to stay, but I sort of promised Hatter we were going to…"

"Get pizza." Hatter interrupts, and she can almost hear the implied wink in his voice.

"Yes, we're going to go grab some pizza…and talk." Even to her own mind 'talk' suddenly sounds like a euphemism for 'kiss some more elsewhere'. She can almost feel herself reverting to the teenager she never was, making excuses to her mother in order to sneak off with some boy. Well, not some boy. Hatter. A necessary distinction, though not really the point right now. "Raincheck on dinner?"

They're let off with a final look from her mother that manages to convey just how much she's not buying this explanation, while at the same time looking oddly pleased at the turn of events. She imagines her mother has probably been waiting years for the chance to tease her about something like this, though Alice can't find it in herself to mind. She'll let her mom have her fun, she certainly deserves it. But right now she really just wants to have Hatter to herself. So with a quick goodbye she's dragging Hatter out the door and away from any well-meaning prying. Only to realize that wandering the streets is not exactly the private venue she imagined for their talk. Or 'talk'. But it's not as though there's that many places she can take him, unless they want to hang out in the back of the karate studio.

"So I guess we should actually go get pizza and talk for a bit?" The suggestion sounds even sillier now but it's all she's got.

"To be honest, traveling by Looking Glass has sort of killed my appetite for the foreseeable future, but I could do with a cup of tea. The real kind, that is." He's quick to add.

"I'm sure we can find a place that serves around here somewhere." She's not much for tea, herself - especially after the Queen's Tea - but she tries to think of somewhere that might have it.

"Well there is always my place."

"You have a place?"

"Yeah, just a few blocks away, I'll show you." His smile is making her think this was his real plan all along, though she's still stuck on the idea of him having a place. It's only been a day or so since they returned, and she can only imagine he's staying in some seedy hotel that doesn't ask too many questions. Still, she lets him lead her down several streets she's never traveled before to wherever he's currently staying in her world.

"Here we are, then." Hatter holds out his free arm in a sweeping gesture towards the building in front of them. It's not exactly the seedy hotel she pictured - or a hotel at all - but the building before her has certainly seen better days. She thinks to herself that it actually reminds her a bit of some of the buildings in Wonderland, though thankfully this one seems to be firmly on the ground. The staircase within is old and winding, and probably not entirely safe, but she's happy they're not chancing the birdcage elevator instead (she didn't even know those still existed!). Hatter leads her up to the third floor before producing a key with an excited grin, unlocking the apartment and steering her through the doorway.

Inside, it's like stepping into another century. The room is very well kept but it feels ancient. The windows are all heavily draped and most of the room's lighting is coming from the half dozen lamps that Hatter is rushing to turn on. She sees now that the walls are darkly papered in golds and greens, the pattern clashing horribly with that of the carpeting - not to mention with the ridiculous array of antique furniture that's been made to fit in the tiny room. Handmade doilies cover most of the surfaces. It almost looks like a Victorian dollhouse that's been scaled up to human size, and Alice is afraid to touch anything in the apartment for fear of breaking something.

"What d'ya think of it?" Hatter has snuck up behind her to watch her take it all in.

"It's not exactly what I was expecting…" was the most diplomatic response she can think of. "How did you even find this place?"

"Some old bird was renting it. Wanted to go live with her son and new granddaughter in a place called Florida." The way he says 'Florida' is probably how she would have said the word 'Jabberwocky' just a few short days ago, with a tone of complete disbelief.

"How'd you even afford it?" The apartment is certainly very nice if more than a little old-fashioned, and even in this part of town real estate is pretty expensive.

"Still so suspicious, eh? Well it turns out a few bits of coin from our world are worth quite a bit of paper in yours. It's entirely on the up and up."

"And so she let you move in, just like that?" She doesn't doubt he's telling her the truth, even if it does sound crazy, but she knows there has to be more to it than that.

"Well I have have mentioned there was this girl…" His cheeky tone suggests he not really upset at all her questions.

"Oh really?" She teases back over her shoulder, still wandering around looking at the odds and ends that have been left behind.

"And perhaps I may have given her enough to cover an entire year's rent, plus the help of a rather handsome and strapping young lad in helping her move out."

"At least we know she wasn't entirely senile, though I have no idea where you found a handsome young man to help her pack…" She can't help herself, it feels wonderful to finally be able to laugh like this.

"Oi! I'll show you handsome!" It's not a particularly witty comeback, but he's grabbing her hand to spin her back into his arms, and she lets herself be drawn back into another kiss. Taking advantage of the playful mood, she nips at Hatter's lower lip, enjoying the rumbling chuckle she gets in response. But drawing her tongue across the same spot earns a full-fledged moan, and she can feel the mood shift a little between them. Hatter kisses her more firmly now, bringing up his free hand to cup the back of her head while the other tightens around her. Alice returns with equal fervor until they're both out of breath. Hatter finally pulls back to deliver a small kiss to the tip of her nose, an oddly cute gesture that belies his earlier passion.

"So I take it you approve of my new lodgings?" His tone is teasing, but his expression is hopeful.

"A bit old-fashioned maybe, but I think it suits you," the cocky grin returns to his face at this, "and it certainly beats sleeping out in the ruins."

"Ha! And you haven't even seen the best part!"

Hatter draws her over to a large glass cabinet in the corner, filled to the brim with all manner of teacups and saucers. There's not a single matching set to be found, or even a common theme. Each cup is individually quite beautiful, though as a whole it is quite a cacophony of shapes and colors. A sort of beautiful chaos, just like her Hatter.

"I think this is the real reason the old bird let me have the place. She had to leave most of her collection here and I promised they'd be in good hands. There's dozens more in the cupboards too, along with some very nice tea. Shall I put the kettle on for us?" Alice can only nod in response as he dashes to the kitchen, her chest pleasantly tight at the domesticity of it all. How easily Hatter could take her into home, his life, referring to them as an "us" so casually. Though considering he jumped into a strange new world just to find her, maybe this the rest of it really was easy for him.

It had never come easily to her, letting people in. Not since her father had left. But Hatter had a way of chipping away at her defenses and working himself into all the cracks until there was no getting rid of him. If she hadn't been pushed through the Looking Glass before, she's not sure even sure she could have really gone without him. And she knows she can't let him go now. Even having him in another room is to great a distance right now.

Alice finds herself following Hatter into the kitchen just as he turning up the flames beneath an ornate kettle. She cross the room swiftly to kiss him again with a new urgency, and is met with equal intensity from Hatter. Her hands move up to grip at his neatened hair, mussing it back to its wild state once again. She can feel him almost purring against her as she alternates tugging at the strands and running her fingers through the newly disheveled locks. His own hands reach for her waist, dipping beneath her top to run along the bare skin of her lower back before grasping her more firmly into him. Alice continues pressing them back until Hatter bumps into the counter, and takes advantage of the surprised gasp he makes to sweep her tongue against his own, a gesture he eagerly returns. Their kiss stretches on for long moments until the kettle is loudly whistling beside them.

"Care for some tea then?" Hatter chuckles at the awkward interruption, trying to gain back some of his composure as he scrambles to turn off the stove. But Alice isn't ready to let him get it back just yet.

"It will keep." As far as lines go, it's a little opaque. But the way Hatter's mouth falls open a little and his eyes darken, she knows he understands her.

"Well then, how about we finish the tour?" It comes out a little breathlessly, and despite the obvious double meaning Hatter is offering her a real smile instead of his usual clever grin. She answers with a smile of her own and allows him to finally lead her to the bedroom.


	8. Chapter 7b

The room itself is actually fairly restrained compared to the rest of the house. The walls are only lightly patterned, and aside from an armoire and a few small tables the only real furniture in the room is the sizeable bed that takes up much of the space. The canopy is a deep blue velvet but the sheets beneath seem lighter and possibly even new. It's starting to hit her that he's really here to stay. Hatter watches as she takes in his new room.

"It may not be the Kingdom of the Knights, but it's pretty cozy." The playful mood from earlier seeps back in a little, breaking some of the tension. Alice is thankful for this, and relaxes once again into their familiar banter. This she knows how to do.

"But how will you ever get to sleep without Charlie's snoring?" She smiles almost conspiratorially at Hatter, thinking back to their odd friend.

"Or that old iron bed squeaking?" He returns with a tentative grin, uncertain if he's allowed to joke about this so soon. Alice can't help herself, she bursts out laughing. Partly at the memory of the ridiculous situation, and also at the look on Hatter's face, like he half expects her to slap him for bringing it up. But it is a little funny now, how she almost jumped Hatter in the middle of the woods because of a cup of tea, and the way he was so shocked by her attempts at getting him in bed. He hadn't behaved at all like she had expected him to - not that she expected him to take advantage the situation. It had taken her a while to fully trust him, but she figured out early on that he was a decent man underneath it all. And the selfless way he has taken care of her while she was under the influence of the Tea only confirmed that for her. But he had almost seemed more embarrassed than she was.

On the one hand Alice is overwhelmingly glad that things hadn't gone too far when she wasn't exactly herself, but on the other she does regret that she never got to see him completely flustered. The fun kind of flustered, of course. Not this awkward nervousness that's suddenly overcome them both, standing in Hatter's bedroom trying to work out how to move forward with this. Hatter seems as reluctant now as he was then to make the first move, so it comes down to Alice to to rescue them both

Her laughter has faded, but a soft smile still remains on her face as she moves closer to him. Her hands reach up to run across the sides of his neck before slipping down to push at his jacket. It's still so strange to see him in such ordinary above world clothing, thought at least his hair has returned to its natural state with all of her ruffling. And she has to admit, she doesn't hate the way the plain white tee clings to his frame as more and more of it revealed by the loss of his jacket. Hatter seems to shed some of his nerves along with it, and takes the opportunity to capture her lips once again. This time he takes the lead, tongue sweeping along her bottom lip to beg entrance, and he hums appreciatively when her mouth opens to his. Alice runs her hands along his newly revealed arms all the while, enjoying the feel of his familiar strength hidden beneath warm skin. Hatter pulls back for a moment to rest his forehead against her own, his next words breathed quietly against her lips.

"Been wanting to do that for a very _very_ long time."

"Why didn't you? Before?" Alice draws back a little further, suddenly needing to know the answer.

"Wouldn't have been right, then." It's obvious when he's referring to.

"I meant after that."

"Was going to, but then you ran off with Jackie Boy." It's said mostly in jest, but Alice can still hear the hurt in his voice. She kisses him again, briefly but laced with deeper meaning, before whispering, "thank you for coming after me."

"Always will." The grin that follows is so cocky and so honest all at the same time, Alice can't help but kiss him again. There's still a few things that need clearing up, however, and Alice reluctantly pauses their kiss.

"Though you certainly let me think I was going through that mirror all by myself."

"Wasn't sure you wanted me following you here. Thought you might still be in love with Jack." Alice can hear the question in his words.

"I wasn't, actually. I don't think I ever really was…" As soon as she says it she knows that it's true, and she can see the relief on Hatter's face before the familiar grin returns.

"Oh? And just when did you figure this little tidbit this out?" He's teasing her now, clearly convinced he knew all along, despite his earlier words.

"Probably around the same time I realized I had real feelings for someone else." Her tone is equally teasing, though her words are full of truth.

"Well then, I think I'm going to need to hear a bit more about the feelings you have for me." Hatter's hands reach for her waist to draw her back against him.

"Who says they were about you?" Alice can't resist taunting him. She's enjoying the return of Hatter's confidence, but also unwilling to inflate his ego any more than she already has. All the same she still wraps her arms around his shoulders in return.

Hatter mocks indignation, then kisses her none-too-gently in retaliation. Alice is left breathless by the intensity of it, though she's pleased to note that Hatter isn't faring much better himself

"You sure you're not feeling anything now?" He breathes roughly against her lips.

"Nope." She replies, popping the 'p' just as he had before, getting back a little bit of her own in the process.

"And what if I were to do this?" It's all the warning she gets before Hatter's mouth is on her neck, somehow immediately finding the spot that makes her knees a little weak. She barely manages to stifle a moan at the barest hint of teeth against her throat. From the cocky grin on Hatter's face as he pulls away it's obvious he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

"Still nothing?" Her eyes are closed but she can almost hear his grin.

"Nothing whatever…" It comes out a little dreamily, as if she knows the answer but has already forgotten what the game was.

"Well what if I…" Oh yes, that was the game. But Hatter wasn't the only one playing. Before he could do whatever he had planned Alice tilts her head to nip at one of Hatter's ears, earning a rather undignified yelp and the tightening of Hatter's hands at her waist. Taking the lobe more gently between her lips has Hatter sighing into her ear, which turns to a rumbling groan when she brings her teeth back against the delicate flesh. With Hatter pressed so intimately against her it's impossible to miss his response to her, and Alice can't help the little surge of pride that follows. She draws it out further, cataloging each of Hatter's responses before shifting to the other side.

"It seems I may actually like you a little bit." She whispers before repeating her ministrations on his other ear, offering him this small victory in the face of her own overwhelming triumph.

"Just a little?" And of course Hatter isn't about to accept second-best, despite the fact that he's practically helpless in her arms.

"Maybe more than a little." Then Hatter is turning to kiss her once again, hands grasping at her sweater to draw her nearer. There's a renewed urgency in this kiss, and Alice lets herself be swept up in it.

"I think you might be a little overdressed right now." The roughness of his voice sends a rush of heat to pool low in her belly, just as his fingers run along the tiny buttons of her cardigan. Alice can't formulate any kind of real response right now, so she simply nods in response. Surprisingly nimble fingers make quick work of the buttons, before the sweater is eased off of her. Hatter's hands slide down her now bare arms before settling slightly above her wrists, quietly thumbing the space where her Oyster mark used to be. Alice is the first to break the silence.

"I was almost convinced I had dreamed the entire thing, when it wasn't there anymore. I don't think I really believed any of it actually happened until you appeared at my door."

"Then it's a very good thing I did." Hatter's fingers move down to toy with the hem of her top before slipping beneath, running across the bare skin of her lower back. Alice can't help the small sigh that escapes her, fisting her own hands in the fabric of his shirt and tugging it upward. Hatter releases his hold on her for just a moment to make quick work of removing the shirt himself, mussing his hair further in the process. His hands quickly return to her waist, while her own are drawn to his newly exposed chest. They're both left a little breathless by the maneuver. But Hatter simply watches her as she explores his bare torso, his eyes growing darker as her fingers trail down towards his waist. Alice takes a step back, drawing her hands to her own top before slipping it off.

Hatter's eyes widen at the sudden move, and Alice wills herself to let him look his fill. She's never been particularly self-conscious, but Hatter has a way of seeing right through all her defenses. And right now all that's covering her upper body is a rather plain bra - not exactly what she would have chosen if she had thought to plan for this. But the look of awe on Hatter's face makes it suddenly not matter so much. He reaches out to her, hesitating slightly, and that's all it takes to restore her confidence. She presses against his waiting fingertips, enjoying the feel of them lightly brushing across her ribs.

Hatter's fingers continue to tease across her ribs and belly for several long moments, before sliding up along her sides. His wrists barely brush against the edge of her breasts, but it's enough to make her arch into the touch, ever so slightly. He doesn't pause in his teasing though, fingering along the straps of her bra and sliding beneath before slowly tugging them down her shoulders. Finally she feels the barest touch along the upper edge of her breasts, though never once dipping below the fabric. Alice had never known this part of her to be so sensitive, but right now it feels like her entire body is wired to Hatter's touch. She almost tries to stop him when he draws away, even though he is only reaching behind her to work at the clasp.

Hatter actually fumbles with the hooks for a bit, and it's surprisingly endearing in its own way. Alice decides to take pity on him and help out, reaching back to unhook it herself. She even lets Hatter regain a bit of his dignity by allowing him to slide it off the rest of the way, though she immediately regrets her decisions when he draws it off with a painstaking slowness. When did Hatter become so patient? Though Alice supposes he's always been an incorrigible tease.

The first featherlight tough against her chest earns her immediate forgiveness, as well as a delicate sigh. His fingers grow bolder at the sound, tracing along the undersides of her breasts before cupping them fully. His thumbs brush across her nipples, and then Alice is kissing him again, stifling all the noises she can't resist making into his lips. Hatter continues driving her mad with his clever fingers, and she can't help but imagine them elsewhere. She had only gotten a small taste of what he could do to her before, and she wants so much more.

Then, as if reading her mind (or perhaps her less subtle hint of shifting them towards the bed), Hatter is pressing her back onto the mattress and one of his hands abandons her breasts to reach for the button of her jeans. He quickly realizes he needs to get her shoes off before he can go any further, but then he's making quick work of her pants and tugging off his own shoes before joining her where she's spread out across the sheets. All of his previous urgency seems to abandon him as he looks down at her. He's back to light touches and tracing along the path of his gaze. Alice can feel tiny goosebumps erupting wherever his fingers reach. He spends an inordinate amount of time tracing along the tiny edge of lace the decorates an otherwise purely sensible pair of light blue panties before leaning in to kiss her again. Her hands go straight to his hair, nails scraping gently along his scalp as his lips trail down her throat to her chest. There's no way to hide the sounds she's making now, and she's so thankful to not have her mother nearby for this, or Charlie. She arches into his mouth, fingers tightening his hair whenever he finds a particularly sensitive spot or brings his teeth into play. Hatter slips the hand not supporting his own weight down to cup her center through the fabric of her panties, and the heat of his palm is unbearable and not enough all at once.

"Wait, no, not like this…"

Hatter jerks his hand away immediately, pulling back to look down at Alice. "No?"

"I need more," Alice demands, and she can see the relief that passes through Hatter before quickly being replaced by a far more predatory look.

"Well then, my Alice, all you need do is ask…" And then his hand is slipping beneath the fabric, fingers immediately dipping into her wetness and locating the small bundle of nerves hidden there. Unconsciously she spreads her legs wider, opening herself further to his touch. She can feel the rough callouses of each of his fingers as they slip through her heat, and it's already so much better than before. And then he's kissing her again, and this, this is what was missing back in the forest. Even without the Tea, the intimacy of the present moment is overwhelming, and it's not long before she's falling apart beneath him.

The power of her release surprises them both, and still trembling in the aftermath Alice pulls Hatter down into a shaky embrace. They remain like that for several long moments before the feel of Hatter still hard against her hip reminds her that they're not done yet. She clumsily attempts to free him from his trousers, but Hatter brushes her hands away to take care of them himself, along with divesting her of her sodden panties. Soon, the last barrier between them is stripped away. Then Hatter is looking down at her again with such reverence that she can't help but take advantage of the moment to flip their positions. Before he quite realizes what has happened, he's suddenly lying beneath Alice, who allows herself a small moment of smugness at Hatter's confused expression. It doesn't take him long to recover though.

"Actually I think I rather like this view." He answers with a ridiculous leer, reaching up to palm at her breasts once more. Alice playfully swats at his chest in response, which has Hatter simply chuckling at her. But a slight shift of her hips over his own has him groaning, all traces of smugness suddenly gone from his expression and hands dropping to grip tightly at her waist. Alice isn't unaffected herself though, taking a moment to enjoy the feel of bare skin meeting his own. Until she has a sudden moment of terrible clarity.

"Condom!"

"Condom?" Hatter is looking up at her with brows tightly knit.

"Please tell me you have those in Wonderland?" Alice realizes she has no idea how things actually work there.

"Of course we have 'em in Wonderland, but I did leave in a bit of a hurry…"

"And I just ran out of my house without thinking…" Hatter groans at this, and not in a happy way. Alice is starting the feel much the same way, until she has an idea "…wait…"

Alice swiftly reaches over to begin rifling through the nightstand. She tosses out several useless items before finally emerging with her prize. "Aha! Seems your old landlady is still doing pretty well for herself, this isn't even expired."

Hatter makes a face at that. "She's practically old enough to be my Gran! How about we not talk about her getting shagged right now - bit of a mood-killer, that."

"Well, I guess if you're no longer interested…" Alice pretends to shift off of him before Hatter swiftly tugs her back into his lap. She giggles as she's nearly toppled over by the move, feeling lighter than she has in a long time.

"Oh I'm still very much interested." Hatter makes his point with a small thrust against her, and her giggles die down at the feel of him. They manage the condom with minimal awkwardness and then she's slowly lowering herself onto him, feeling Hatter trembling with the effort to stay still beneath her. His fingers tighten against her hips, not attempting to guide her pace but merely providing a steadying presence - though whether it's for her sake his own she can't be certain. Hatter's gaze is locked with her own the entire time, as he looks up at her in wonder. It's a heady sensation, and she pauses for a few moments when she is finally seated, just enjoying the feeling of him inside her. Alice then gives a experimental roll of her hips and Hatter gasps at the sensation, turning into a groan as she repeats the gesture, moving just as slowly. She continues at this maddening pace for as long as she can bear, and until Hatter is all but growling beneath her.

Alice finally relents and quickens their pace, allowing Hatter to help guide her hips more quickly over his own. He's beyond coherency now, babbling absurd riddles interspersed with cries of her own name (possibly the answer to several of his riddles). She bends down to silence him with her lips, muffling his nonsense with a kiss. The angle's not quite so perfect like this, but she tugs Hatter's hand between them and he quickly figures out how to help her along, clever fingers working expertly against her as they had before.

Alice nearly collapses against him she comes for a second time, but she manages to hold herself up just long enough to watch Hatter follow her over the edge. Only then does she allow him to pull her down against him unresisting, both of them still shuddering in the embrace. Hatter's fingers find their way into her hair to stroke through the dark strands, and she closes her eyes against the gentle sensation. His next words are so quiet she almost misses them.

"I think our luck's finally changed."


End file.
